There's an old saying:
It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
That certainly applies to many things, that includes having a valid U.S. Passport at the ready before one takes an overseas trip.
I renewed my passport last year. At present, I have no plans for any foreign travel. That's not to say that on the spur of the moment, I may decide to go to Japan or to some other country, like I did with the Cuba cruise in 2019.
It is a good thing I renewed my passport last year. Right now, since the pandemic is done, people are flooding the passport offices around the country applying for or renewing passports. The manpower just isn't there to handle the deluge and the wait is a long one, an estimated 13 weeks.
The Citrus County Chronicle reported:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking a valid U.S. passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveler, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport.
A much-feared backup of U.S passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels — with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travelers in the U.S. and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty.
With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit — in other cities — in time to make the flights they booked in the first place.
To read more, go here.
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